How to Store and Freeze Food

Plastic bags and plastic storage containers fit the bill, except not if you're trying to cut plastic out of your life to avoid being exposed to chemicals like hormone-disrupting bisphenol A or out of concern for the environment (single-use disposable plastics forever in landfills).

Aluminum foil, glass containers, mason jars, and butcher or wax paper are all good alternatives to plastic.

Metal and Glass Containers

Glass containers are an excellent choice. Glass is non-reactive so it won’t leach into food, it is easy to clean, and it doesn’t wear out. Glass allows you to see what’s inside without having to label. Glass protects against freezer burn very well.

Many well-known manufacturers, such as Pyrex and Corning, make glass containers that are freezer-safe.  Look for glass containers with lids that provide an airtight seal. You can also use mason jars (these are great for liquids, in which case the mouth of the jar should not be narrower than the jar itself). You might also try using recycled jars with screw tops.

If you're intent on cutting out the use of plastic, you can replace plastic lids with freezer-safe silicone lids. 

Glass to Paper

Another option is to freeze food in a glass container until solid, remove the food from the container and wrap it tightly in something else before returning it to the freezer. In this case, you have to label the food.

Paper and Foil Wraps

Wraps are good for chunks of firm foods such as meat or cookie dough and for pre-frozen blocks of food. Unbleached brown butcher paper can be used for the short term or as a first-layer wrap, but provides very little protection from moisture loss. Waxed paper is more moisture-resistant but is only sufficient when freezing food for a few weeks. (Look for unbleached products like Natural Value Waxed Paper or Waxed Paper Bags). 

Heavy-duty aluminum foil is probably your best bet. It is airtight when well sealed and moisture-resistant. However, you need to be careful to squeeze the air out and seal it up tight. Also, foil can be damaged easily during handling, and even the smallest hole in the material will create freezer burn.

Double-Wrapping

You can wrap meats in foil, then wrap them a second time in butcher paper, waxed paper, or plastic to further protect them. Since the plastic bag hasn’t touched the food, you reuse it multiple times. If you're careful with paper you can probably reuse it a few times. Be sure to recycle the foil when you're done with it.

How to Wrap for Freezing

When using paper or foil, cut a piece large enough to wrap all the way around the food, plus a couple of inches extra. Place the food in the center. Bring two opposite edges together and roll them down until the rolled edge is snug against the food. Flatten the rolled edges. Flatten  and fold up the ends. I just scrunch it tight, but you might want to tape it.

Cellulose Bags and Wraps

Cellulose is what plant cell walls are made of, so it doesn’t get more “natural” than that. Cellulose is biodegradable and non-reactive – the best of both worlds. Find cellulose products on the Greenhome website. (Caution: These products may be made from GMO plants. I don't know if this is a health hazard or or not).

If You Decide to Use Plastic…
I still freeze some things in plastic, as I have not yet built up a large enough selection of jars and paper. I do not put anything hot directly into a plastic bag! Plastic “freezer” bags are said to be better than sandwich or storage bags because they are thicker, but I find the regular storage and sandwich bags work fine. Most of these bags are made with a type of plastic that does not contain BPA.

To determine if the bags you are buying have BPA in them, check the packaging. Most safe plastics will say “BPA-free” on the package, but if you still aren’t sure, look for the resin identification code at the bottom, the number inside the triangle of arrows. Here’s how the ID numbers break down. Some other types of plastic should be avoided as well:

1. Polyethyelene terephthalate (PETE)
2. High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
3. Vinyl, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) AVOID
4. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
5. Polypropylene (PP)
6. Polystyrene (PS) AVOID
7. Others, including polycarbonate, acrylic, polylactic acid, fiberglass AVOID

1,2, 4 and 5 are safe for food usage. Avoid products labeled 3, 6 and 7.

Safety Tips:  *Do not put hot food in the freezer. Food must cool completely before being frozen or it will breed bacteria.*   *When freezing liquids, leave room for them to expand.*

QAUYKPTZZJEE

The Twisted Web We Weave - Organic Companies to be Wary Of

Check out this chart to see who actually owns the organic or "natural" companies whose products you buy. It is an interesting diagram to say the least.

Personally, I don't trust the big companies.

They sometimes start out with good intentions, but then it doesn't play out that way in the long run-- little by little they start introducing harmful or questionable processes or chemicals without telling us. For example, who knows if the products made by Burts Bees (not on this chart) are really healthy for us now; the company was sold (years ago) to Dupont.

Cut and paste the link into your browser:
https://www.msu.edu/~howardp/organicindustry.html

Your Organic Food Heroes

Here are the truly organic companies that worked hard to help pass Prop 37 in California. even though they did not succeed, I am grateful to these companies for their commitment to pure food and sustainable agriculture. Beware of other companies. Many organic labels are now owned by mega-food companies who may not be so trustworthy in their practices.

Ode to A Lemon

My blog gathered the most readers today. I am thinking it is either from the Pumpkin Pie post or the Lovable Lemon post.  Since lemons are so wonderful for us, I decided to post part of Ode to a Lemon by Pablo Neruda. You can find the entire poem on poetry websites.

Enjoy your lemons. Enjoy your verse.

Ode To The Lemon by Pablo Neruda

From blossoms
released
by the moonlight,
from an
aroma of exasperated
love,
steeped in fragrance,
yellowness
drifted from the lemon tree,
and from its planetarium
lemons descended to the earth....


So, when you hold
the hemisphere
of a cut lemon
above your plate,
you spill
a universe of gold,
a
yellow goblet
of miracles....

Amazing Lemons

I would like to share some information I received in an email from a friend.

                                                                       

                                                                ~ ~ ~

THE LOVABLE LEMON

Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted. How can you use the whole lemon without waste?

Simple. Place the washed lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your foods. You can sprinkle it on salads, ice cream, soups, cereals, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice…The list is endless. You can even use it in a cup of instant noodles.

All of the foods to which you add lemon will have an unexpectedly wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before. Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. But not anymore.

So what's the major advantage of using the whole lemon, other than preventing waste and adding a new taste to your dishes? Well, you see, a lemon peel contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself.

Lemon peels rejuvenate your health. They eradicate toxic elements in the body.  

You can eat this fruit in other ways, of course. You can juice press it, add it to your daily drinks, and use it to create sorbets and pastries. 

Lemon is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy, potentially useful in preventing all types of cancer. After more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the tests on lemon extracts revealed that lemon destroyed malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas..

Why do we not know this? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits.

The lemon is also considered an anti-microbial that works against bacterial infections and fungi, is effective against internal parasites and worms, regulates blood pressure, and acts as an antidepressant to combat stress and nervous disorders.

So, give those lemons a good wash, freeze them, grate them. Take all the lemons life gives you and make lemonade (without the sugar, of course). Squeeze a little lemon into warm water before breakfast: this is a universal detox.

Love the lemon! Your body will love you for it!

Update on Healthy Dog Food and Packaging

After what felt like an exhaustive and frustrating search for a healthy dry dog food, I have settled on Arcana/Origen.  I still think Merrick and its organic sister company Castor and Pollux are good choices.

I am not sure that kibble is so great for dogs, as it is super-heated. I still give my dog a little kibble with her meals, but I am feeding her more and more fresh food.

UPDATE ON PACKAGING:  I have spoken with executives at all these companies. Their food bags are not coated on the inside with teflon or any other chemical.

A Most Delicious Pumpkin Pie

Double yum!  Today I purchased the Whole Foods Market GlutenFree Bakehouse Pumpkin Pie. This is THE best pumpkin pie I have ever had. So rich with cinnamon.